Teachers not returning. MCPS to hire “Monitors” instead

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents are demanding in person. MCPS has to do it with small groups and the only safe way to do it is this way. You demand, they agreed, so stop complaining. Even if they were taught in person there would be huge restrictions. However, none of this matters as we aren't going back till covid numbers lesson.

Yes! We demand it! Public health be damned!

Oh, stop it. The public health experts themselves disagree with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents are demanding in person. MCPS has to do it with small groups and the only safe way to do it is this way. You demand, they agreed, so stop complaining. Even if they were taught in person there would be huge restrictions. However, none of this matters as we aren't going back till covid numbers lesson.

Yes! We demand it! Public health be damned!

Oh, stop it. The public health experts themselves disagree with you.

It depends on which public health "expert" you ask and what their agenda is. We know many schools who were open had to open/close multiple times. The best solution is to put us on lockdown till we vaccinate enough people to keep numbers low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand who cohorting and masking isn’t enough. In preschools they don’t keep the kids six feet apart because they cant. They mask and keep classes segregated so no spread within school to other cohorts. Why can’t we just restart school in masks and keep classes separate? What difference does it make if there are 12 kids or 20 kids in the same air for 7 hours. Either we are ok with that or we aren’t. Seems like unnecessary theatre.

Masks help but they don't stop covid. And cohorting really isn't great as kids often have siblings in other groups, parents working and socializing outside school.

As people have been saying since April, the point is to mitigate risk, not eliminate risk.

Except they don't fully mitigate it or we wouldn't have such high numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But they are not yet dominant, which could happen by March according to the CDC. Not trying to be negative, and I do hope that the cases continue to fall, but it’s not a given.

The future is inherently uncertain, on account of not having happened yet, but we (individuals/society/organizations) make plans nonetheless.

Agree completely, but we should make plans for more than one possible outcome, don’t you think?

Sure. MCPS already has done that, though. If the numbers don't go down, MCPS will continue with everyone doing DL at home. That's the plan.

The *parents* need to plan for both possibilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand who cohorting and masking isn’t enough. In preschools they don’t keep the kids six feet apart because they cant. They mask and keep classes segregated so no spread within school to other cohorts. Why can’t we just restart school in masks and keep classes separate? What difference does it make if there are 12 kids or 20 kids in the same air for 7 hours. Either we are ok with that or we aren’t. Seems like unnecessary theatre.

Masks help but they don't stop covid. And cohorting really isn't great as kids often have siblings in other groups, parents working and socializing outside school.

Preschools have class limits. Mine is 8 max. A friends center is 10 max.

Ok, but you understand that kids have siblings who they can spread it to and kids and families are socializing outside school, traveling, much more which contributes to those kids spreading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very few of my low income families are returning to school. They cannot afford to get sick. The families who want to send their kids back are wealthy and white.

This is also the impression we got from the presentation in our daughter’s school. It’s just a statement of fact that the kids who will be doing in-person are mostly white and those that chose DL are mostly non-white and poor. No need to get offended.

This is very true. I teach ESOL. From conversations with parents, I would be surprised if more than 20% of my students return to in person instruction this spring. The parents mostly have someone in the family who isn't working and is able to stay with a group of kids, usually cousins, and take care of them. Someone's aunt, uncle, cousin, older sister is usually around. These families suffered a lot and saw people will bad illness and they want to avoid COVID. They haven't let their kids play on the playground or go to a swimming pool over the summer. They kids go nowhere basically. The families do not want to risk getting sick or getting grandma sick. Possibly if they all get vaccinated as essential workers in Tier 1c they will change their minds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is of course a group of teachers that are at higher risk due to underlying health conditions, and I fully support those teachers continuing to teacher remotely and a monitor "managing" those in person classrooms while students in the class and at home zoom the lesson. However, that is not the majority of teachers. Once MCPS returns to in person school (so cdc safety measures are in place like masking and distance), the majority of teachers should be in person in their classrooms 5 days a week, and the students who elected to stay full remote plus the portions of the in person cohorts that are learning at home on any given day should zoom into the lesson. This isn't that complicated and school systems all across the country have been implementing it since September.

Our teachers are coming back, regardless of the kind of in-person learning they're doing. Our ES doesn't have the technology to do that kind of concurrent learning (especially since it would require the teacher to stand in one spot the whole time to stay on camera). We can't fit all the kids who are coming back into one classroom because our building is small, and they are prioritizing keeping kids with their teachers. So you tell me how that can work.

Um, the teacher stands at the front of the room, camera on - if the teacher moves in the room, s/he takes laptop with them - the teacher periodically monitors the chat function on zoom. Seriously there are schools all over that have been implementing hybrid learning this way - there is no special technology required beyond a zoom account!

Exactly. Our kids’ teachers do this. It is not complicated, does not require special technology and does not require hiring more people.

The question of whether the two groups of kids are going to be getting an equal or equitable education is of course up for grabs but you know all the parents who want in person don't give a s*** about that

Nope. They stomp their feet and scream "OMG OUR KIDS HAD TO " SUFFER" IN DL -- NOW IT'S "YOUR TURN!'

No, sweetie. It doesn't work that way, but gold star for effort!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents are demanding in person. MCPS has to do it with small groups and the only safe way to do it is this way. You demand, they agreed, so stop complaining. Even if they were taught in person there would be huge restrictions. However, none of this matters as we aren't going back till covid numbers lesson.

Yes! We demand it! Public health be damned!

So very glad that cooler, smarter heads prevail and that no one gives a damn what parents "demand." LOL.

[Anonymous]

CDC director stated that a safe return to school is possible and necessary.... hiring lowly educate ,minimum wage workers to care for our children is what the Montgomery country residents do best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is of course a group of teachers that are at higher risk due to underlying health conditions, and I fully support those teachers continuing to teacher remotely and a monitor "managing" those in person classrooms while students in the class and at home zoom the lesson. However, that is not the majority of teachers. Once MCPS returns to in person school (so cdc safety measures are in place like masking and distance), the majority of teachers should be in person in their classrooms 5 days a week, and the students who elected to stay full remote plus the portions of the in person cohorts that are learning at home on any given day should zoom into the lesson. This isn't that complicated and school systems all across the country have been implementing it since September.

Our teachers are coming back, regardless of the kind of in-person learning they're doing. Our ES doesn't have the technology to do that kind of concurrent learning (especially since it would require the teacher to stand in one spot the whole time to stay on camera). We can't fit all the kids who are coming back into one classroom because our building is small, and they are prioritizing keeping kids with their teachers. So you tell me how that can work.

Um, the teacher stands at the front of the room, camera on - if the teacher moves in the room, s/he takes laptop with them - the teacher periodically monitors the chat function on zoom. Seriously there are schools all over that have been implementing hybrid learning this way - there is no special technology required beyond a zoom account!

Exactly. Our kids’ teachers do this. It is not complicated, does not require special technology and does not require hiring more people.

The question of whether the two groups of kids are going to be getting an equal or equitable education is of course up for grabs but you know all the parents who want in person don't give a s*** about that

Nope. They stomp their feet and scream "OMG OUR KIDS HAD TO " SUFFER" IN DL -- NOW IT'S "YOUR TURN!'

No, sweetie. It doesn't work that way, but gold star for effort!

Depends if the teacher is in the classroom. If they are...even if instructing via laptop, the experience will be largely be superior. Particularly as it evolves over time and particularly for ES who will be able to interact with the teacher during all the downtime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand who cohorting and masking isn’t enough. In preschools they don’t keep the kids six feet apart because they cant. They mask and keep classes segregated so no spread within school to other cohorts. Why can’t we just restart school in masks and keep classes separate? What difference does it make if there are 12 kids or 20 kids in the same air for 7 hours. Either we are ok with that or we aren’t. Seems like unnecessary theatre.

Masks help but they don't stop covid. And cohorting really isn't great as kids often have siblings in other groups, parents working and socializing outside school.

As people have been saying since April, the point is to mitigate risk, not eliminate risk.

Except they don't fully mitigate it or we wouldn't have such high numbers.

We don't have "such high numbers."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CDC director stated that a safe return to school is possible and necessary.... hiring lowly educate ,minimum wage workers to care for our children is what the Montgomery country residents do best.

Where have you been in the US economy for the last 20+ years? Not needing paid child care, at minimum.

[Anonymous]

What will these people obsess about when Covid is under control and the kids go back? There will be some seriously bored people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents are demanding in person. MCPS has to do it with small groups and the only safe way to do it is this way. You demand, they agreed, so stop complaining. Even if they were taught in person there would be huge restrictions. However, none of this matters as we aren't going back till covid numbers lesson.

Yes! We demand it! Public health be damned!

Oh, stop it. The public health experts themselves disagree with you.

It depends on which public health "expert" you ask and what their agenda is. We know many schools who were open had to open/close multiple times. The best solution is to put us on lockdown till we vaccinate enough people to keep numbers low.

Regardless of your personal opinion, that's not going to happen. It's politically impossible. So, on to the solutions that are actually possible...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you care about this, please sign the petition to force MCPS to comply with Governor's order for in-person schooling, which is not the same as students (including elementary school and special needs students) sitting at their desks in MCPS school buildings learning via their Chromebooks while their teachers teach them from home:

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/750/082/966/we-demand-mcps-provide-live-in-person-instruction-beginning-31-as-gov-hogan-demanded/?fbclid=IwAR16dQwFddmgVcYzaBW66nAn0jnk-foLF8PoTLQPj0hjMce4o8y_5UtkEs4

Does that work?! I signed one in August and we're still in DL.